day 22: my favorite city

OXFORD, MISSISSIPPI
i am never more happy than when i am in oxford. just a quick stroll around the square
or driving through campus brings a smile to my face.
so i have compiled a list (certainly not complete because i can't possible think of them all) of the things i LOVE about oxford:
...all the incredible dining. any price range, any taste buds... oxford has something for you! a few of my faves include ravine, rice & spice, and bottletree bakery.
...little to no traffic.
...ole miss football and basketball games.

...beautiful scenery.

...regents school of oxford and my family there :)
...fbc oxford and my 4th grade sunday school kids.

...local businesses who know you and want to take care of you.

Even though I didn't grow up here, I feel more at home here than I do anywhere else. I love it and I never wanna leave!

day 21: picture of yourself

So.... I like taking pictures ha! This is a collection of pics from 2005 when I graduated to this spring (2011)! Enjoy - I sure had fun looking back through all of them!

2005 - about to go to a play at the BLT

2006 - right after I had gotten engaged!

2007 - at my wedding to Jason Michael!

2008 - at our honeymoon in Paris! oooh la la!

2008 - in Boston, MA inside a church :)

2009 - with the cards I won playing Apples to Apples with sweet friends!

2009 - at Comic Con for the first time!2009 - in New York City trying to figure out how this line is art at MOMA

2009: excited about my Hungry Caterpillar book for Christmas!

2010: at the top of a slope in Beaver Creek, CO ... you can see Jason in my sunglasses!2010 - in New Orleans goofing around for Nancy's Birthday!2010 - in EPCOT posing hehe :)

2011 - enjoying a walk around Ole Miss when we got 10 inches of snow!

2011 - cheesing for Jason on his b-day and supporting my Rebs!

day 20: nicknames

so i've never had one official nickname. i have lots of different ones and none of them are consistent and some aren't even used anymore.

here are some of them throughout the years...
blondie - official nickname from my father from the moment i finally had hair instead of peach fuzz until now
eugenia - occasional nickname from my father... it's complicated
daneeka - what people called me when they wanted to aggravate me :-P
darnika - friends from youth group thought this was humorous
"d" - i only had one childhood friend call me this and he never called me anything else
dannie - my baby sister calls me this to this day
dan dan - my sisters-in-love decided on calling me this and it's stuck. alot of people now use this nickname, which i like
dan - when someone doesn't feel like saying another "dan" ... i'm called this alot too

and my husband calls me a plethora of sickeningly sweet nicknames like baby girl, sweetheart, pookie, baby, blah blah blah he loves me :)

day 19: something you miss

i miss waking up early on the weekend to go down to my grandparents house to tend the garden.
i miss childlike imagination - playing with toys and having imaginary friends.
i miss dating my husband like when we were in high school... so much mystery, not being able to spend the night together, having to wait and be pursued... so sweet!
i miss living in the country... walking around outside however i want :) quiet, animals roaming around, birds singing louder... peaceful.
i miss forensics speech and debate... being a part of a team, a family of friends.
i miss my great grandma.... who always had a sweet smile, never judged a soul, and made the best cowboy cookies ever.
i miss shopping for school supplies... the smell of brand new pencils and paper... labeling everything with your name... the first day of school.
i miss four wheeler riding with my dad.
i miss helping my paw paw with the chicken houses.
i miss going to the creek and discovering the woods on foot on my own.
i miss having my best friends Kayla and Suzanne to spend the night - baking and watching movies... oh and talking until we can't keep our eyes open anymore.
i miss being a kid... not understanding the intricacies of family and relationships which can sometimes lead to pain and heartache... being innocent and pure... carefree and without anxiety.

most of all...
i miss my mom. i miss the person she used to be. i miss the woman that raised me and became my best friend. i miss talking to her and shopping with her and laughing with her. i miss her more than i miss anything else.
i am grateful for who God has made her to be now, but still miss the mom i knew.

remembering the sweet memories,
danica layne

day 18: something you regret

i really just don't like that word! i am just of the mind set that everything happens for a reason and i would not be who i am today if it wasn't for the moments, experiences, mistakes, etc that i have encountered.

so i'm just a sore sport on this blog day... cause i don't regret!

i love my life! i love who God has made me to be and how he is constantly working on me! in fact, one of my favorite songs goes along with my ideals, so i'll just share that with you!

"Change in the Making"
by: Addison Road

There's a better version of me
That I can't quite see
But things are gonna change
Right now I'm a total mess and
Right now I'm completely incomplete
But things are gonna change
'Cause you're not through with me yet

This is a redemption's story
With every step that I'm taking
Every day, you're chipping away
What I don't need
This is me under construction
This is my pride being broken
And every day I'm closer to who I'm meant to be
I'm a change in the making

Wish I could live more patiently
Wish I could give a little more of me
Without stopping to think twice
Wish I had faith like a little child
Wish I could walk a single mile
Without tripping on my own feet

I'm living a redemption's story
With every step that I'm taking
Every day, you're chipping away
What I don't need
This is me under construction
This is my pride being broken
And every day I'm closer to who I'm meant to be
I'm a change in the making

From the dawn of history
You make new and you redeem
From a broken world to a broken heart
You finish what you start in everything
Like a river rolls into the sea
We're not who we're going to be
But things are going to change

I'm living a redemption's story
With every step that I'm taking
Every day, you're chipping away
What I don't need
This is me under construction
This is my pride being broken
And every day I'm closer to who I'm meant to be
I'm a change in the making

I'm a change in the making
I'm not who I'm going to be
I'm moving closer to your glory


under construction as i blog,
danica layne :)

day 17: something you're looking forward to

hmmm...

Going to San Diego, CA in July for Comic Con!!!

This will be our second time to go and this year we plan on dressing up... If you wanna put your two cents in about who we should impersonate, feel free to do so! We are still planning :)
I love going to this convention so much because it makes Jason so happy!!! I also don't mind seeing celebrities and watching exclusive previews!

Also, I am looking forward to being a teacher next year!!! I will be teaching Pre-K at Regents Classical Christian School in Oxford. I absolutely love the school and the staff and the kids and their mission and everything about it. I cannot wait to finally have my very OWN ROOM and teach.

Lastly... I am ready for fall - Ole Miss Football and cooler temps!!! It'll be here before I know it :)

day 16: my dream house

Well... I am not sure there is one particular house that is my dream house (unless an option would be the castle at Disney World!!! cause I'd totally live there :-D ). Jason and I are hoping to purchase a home within the next year in Oxford, so I find myself often entertaining thoughts of what my home will look like, elements I want it to have/not have, things I want to put in it, etc etc etc. So I would like to share a few elements of my dream home... probably not the home I'll buy next year, but maybe the home I'll build when I'm much older :)

*A wrap around porch - this is something I have dreamed about since I was a little girl.

*An open kitchen/breakfast/family area. more opportunity for spending quality time together!

*A big ole island in the middle of my kitchen.

*A big ole garden tub - no jets, I don't like those things! I may be the only woman in the world who doesn't.

*A garage!!! No snow built up on your car, no carrying bags inside in the rain, no leather seats smokin' hot from the sun... the list could go on!

*A bigger closet! What every girl needs :)

*A room dedicated to Jason and his collectibles, so I don't have to see them :)

*A bathroom with a toilet room. No explanation needed.

*MORE storage space!

*At least one bay window. I just love those.

*No carpet floors.

*A fire place!

That's all I can think of right now. I don't spend too much time thinking about what I don't have. I try to enjoy and beautify what I do have at the moment! Looking forward to the time in my life when I can buy and build though. It will be a fun adventure.

day 15: bible verse

There is nothing in this world like God's word! It heals my hurt, directs my steps, consoles my mind, delights my heart, inspires my life, nourishes my soul, and meets my needs! There is nothing material as important to me as my Bible. I couldn't pick just one verse, so I'll leave you with a few of my favorites.

*When my anxious thoughts multiply within me, your consolations delight my soul.
Psalm 94:19

*And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says,“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.”

Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! ¹⁰ They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
Hebrews 12: 5-11

*"Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Jesus Christ."
Phillipians 1:6

*Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.
Romans 8: 17

Like I said, these are just a few that come to mind. I hope they inspire you.

Loving my Lord and His Word,
Danica

day 14: a picture you love

this was taken in disneyworld in 2007. it is just such a funny picture to me. it is not posed - it is 100% real emotion. and it represents mine and jason's relationship very well :) we have so much fun together and laugh ALOT! LOVE this pic!

day 13: goals

i have some goals for this year. i don't like to make "resolutions" because they seem more like commitments that i feel obligated to complete, instead of exciting opportunities to become a better person. so goals are a little easier to have i think. they give me a little more wiggle room :)

goals for 2011.
- read the entire Bible
- learn some spanish
- make exercise a part of my lifestyle
- save enough $$$ to buy a house by 2012

that's all for now. don't wanna dream too big ha!

day 12: what you believe

well this is a tough topic to put into words... or maybe it can be really simple and i am just complicating things.
first and foremost i believe in JESUS CHRIST. i believe that God sent Jesus to be born of a virgin in a manger. i believe that Jesus lived a perfect, sinless life for 33 years on Earth. i believe that He died a cruel death on a cross and then triumphantly rose 3 days after His death, defeating once and for all sin, death, and Satan. i believe in my Savior Jesus Christ more than i believe in ANYTHING else in my life, and that HE is the ONLY way to God.
i believe that God is the creator of all things. i believe that God is love, joy, hope, and freedom, among so much more. i believe that God expects us to have a personal relationship with Him, daily communicating with and seeking Him. I believe that having that personal relationship, committing your life to Jesus Christ, is the ONLY way to Heaven. i believe there is a Heaven and a Hell. i believe in God's Word. i believe that it is pure truth and contains everything we need to know to make it through this life.
i believe in treating others the way you would like to be treated. i believe in loving others above yourself, serving others before yourself. i believe in humbleness, thankfulness, patience, kindness, loyalty, truthfulness, faithfulness, perseverance, peacefulness, forgiveness, goodness, and love (among other things that i cannot think of right now!).
i believe in marriage. i believe that God designed marriage to last forever between one man and one woman - till death do you part. i believe that marriage is hard. it is not always happy. it is not always fun. it is not always easy. i believe that it is designed to make us holier - which is an incredibly tough, strenuous, and at times, a painful task. i believe that marriage is beautiful and it honors God.

i probably could go on all night discussing passionate beliefs that i hold. the most important beliefs i have though are discussed above.

in love with my Savior and my husband,
Danica

day 11: favorite tv shows

Oh my goodness! I am crazy about television! jason and i have way too much recording on our dvr regularly. we connect with our tv shows - we have (almost) the same kind of humor and interests. a few of my favorites are not jason's (which one would probably be able to guess!).

and honestly there are a few that i'm embarrassed to share :) so yeah, i watch too much tv.

day 10: something you're afraid of

on a not-so-serious level: spiders. i really hate those 8 legs. totally creeps me out. i've gotten much better over the years, but in the past i have literally jumped on top of a washing machine to keep away from a small spider. silly, i know.

on a more emotional level: i am afraid of losing people i love. especially jason. i think this has a lot to do with, or is certainly further fueled by, my mom's near-death car accident in 2005. also, i have been with jason since i was 16 and really could not imagine life without him. i know God has a wonderful plan for us and i work daily to trust Him 100% with my husband :)

day 9: a picture of your friends

sisters make the greatest FRIENDS :)
from left: emily boyd, bethany boyd, allison boyd

clockwise from the top: kayla emfinger (best friends since first grade), suzanne sereduck (best friends since 9th grade), aleshia cox (friends since summer 2010), liz taylor (friends since summer 2008).

"Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work. If one falls down his friend can help him up..." Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

Thankful to God for my friends. I love you all dearly.

day 8: a place you've traveled to

my favorite place i've traveled in america: california
this is a picture of me and jason in 2006 at balboa park, san diego

we have visited california 3 times, and definitely want to go back soon. we have been to l.a., anaheim/disneyland, san fransisco, san diego, carmel by the sea, and a few places in napa valley.

....................................................................................................................................

the only place we have visited outside of america is paris, france for our honeymoon! it was incredible, new, fun, stressful, and exciting - among many other things!
that's us in front of the eiffel tower :)